Cataloguing and conserving the biodiversity of the countryside and the  native and acclimatized plant species used for centuries by local farmers, particularly endangered varieties, are some of the objectives set down by the Cabildo through the Centro de Conservación de la Biodiversidad Agrícola de Tenerife (CCBAT - Centre for the Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity in Tenerife), located in Tacoronte.

Close historical ties between the Canary Islands and Latin America, the geographical proximity to Africa, and unique environmental and meteorological conditions and traditional farming practices have led to the appearance and growth of native species, and the preservation of agricultural plant species that no longer exist at their places of origin, as is the case with some potatoes.

For conserving the existing crop varieties in Tenerife, the centre works ex situ from places other than where the crops were picked, and in situ, preserving them in their original habitats. Seeds and plants from crops or in vitro are preserved ex situ.

The collaboration between farmers and the centre through the Agencias de Extensión Agraria (Agricultural Advisory Agencies) is more evident in the in situ modality, which involves crops at their places of origin or harvesting. Farmers from Icod, Los Realejos, Buenavista del Norte and La Laguna are already benefitting from the advantages of this collaboration, obtaining quality seeds and a certain guarantee of health, thereby improving their productivity and ensuring the upkeep of the legacy of local plant varieties in agriculture.

Until now, largely due to the collaboration of farmers, the Centre for the Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity in Tenerife has collected around 1,000 items, including seeds, fruit trees and other species of vegetative reproduction, though much remains to be registered and preserved. 

Along these lines, the Cabildo and the Asociación Red Canaria de Semillas (RED – Canary Islands Seed Network Association) have signed a collaboration agreement to preserve the agricultural biodiversity of Tenerife for the purpose of distinguishing local varieties, preserving the seed collection of RED, exchanging data about the passport and agronomic, morphologic and taxonomic features of the entries of their respective collections, establishing by mutual agreement training actions aimed at a better understanding of local varieties and at promoting their conservation, and, in short, planning and developing all kinds of actions and works to enhance the conservation of cultivated biodiversity.